Xbox chief Phil Spencer promises no Xbox Series X exclusives for a 'couple of years'

[Irata]

It has nothing to do with "attitude" or "cults", it's called common sense. I'm not shelling out $500 for a console for no added benefit. I can play all cross-platform games on the PS4, but I can't play TLOU on the Xbox, so obviously, I got myself the PS4 and not the Xbox One. It's not the cross-platform titles that make you pick one or the other, it's the exclusives that do. So according to Phil, the same exact thing will happen when next-gen hits the stores, I'll go Sony.

Is this concept really that hard to grasp? Or will you at least answer the original question regarding my motivation to buy an Xbox?

TBH, I couldn‘t care less which console you buy and why. Not trying to be rude, I simply don‘t care.

Now, if there is a must have game that‘s only available on one platform, I could see why someone would get that platform but I feel it‘s a forced purchase reason and this I don‘t like.

For me, a reason to spend $500-600 on one of the next gen consoles would be the hassle free way to play games with high quality for much less than I‘d have to spend on a PC to play at the same quality.

For the PS5, a next gen VR implementation could be a reason to get it. I really liked PSVR on the PS4.
For the next gen XBox, the promised backwards compatibility could be a reason to get it.

For me, features and services are great differentiators to make me buy one or the other or even both, but a company buying studios or paying them to gave exclusives is not. That‘s just me though, your mileage may vary.

As for exclusives - again, if there is a super awesome one of a kind game I would understand, but my time is limited and there are so many interesting games, if I cannot play one I will play another. Heck, have some games that I did not even properly play yet, so what do I care about exclusives.

 

[axiomatic13]

This is honestly embarrassing for Microsoft. With as many game companies they've gobbled up, to be caught this flat-footed is unacceptable.

 

[Shadowboxer]

Yeah good work MS. I like the direction the Xbox platform is going. It’s not specific to any hardware, you can play games on a PC or a choice of consoles. It means that users can get access by a variety of means. I love it. Currently because of this they receive my sub for Xbox game pass and am happy to buy games on there if the price is right.

Sony on the other hand are *******s who pay studios not to release games on anything but their own hardware in order to force you to buy their hardware. I want access to PS games then I have to fork out for a console! Gtfo!

I’m just saying this because people seem to be genuinely annoyed at MS that they don’t have to go and buy an expensive new console. Which to me is baffling. Consoles aren’t PCs. They aren’t fun to build or buy, it’s just an expense.

I really want FF7 remastered but I am definitely not paying Sony money for their console just to play the dam game. Worst case scenario is that il buy a second hand PS4 in a few years and play it then

 

[texasrattler]

Most pc gamers dont typically own a console unless they have a kids. I owned consoles for years but as I grew up I got into computers, I left consoles behind. When I had my son consoles came back in my house. Now my son is 17 and the last few yrs he has got into pc gaming. He no longer plays or owns a console. Hes a true pc gamer like dad lol
I dont count streamers as pc gamers as most cant even find the freakin power button.

 

[IceRook]

Been gaming for 35 years since Atari 2600. I was under the assumption that companies are ok with losing money on the console as they would make it up on the "back end" with games for the system.

Using this approach gives me very little reason to buy one. In fact, I would think that is something you would not want people knowing, especially die-hards who went to XBOX in the first place, it had exclusives. I just bought a Switch Lite for BOTW only in mind.

Just like he doesn't care obviously that says a lot. "Do not get your hopes up for any reason what so ever" is what he just basically stated to the press. I am sure someone will shed some light on this as the gaming universe has come a long way and seen its changes but this doesn't make any logical sense. IR

 

[Edster]

This strategy will in theory be fine and consumer friendly, but as games are normally built from the lowest denominator, one could imagine that XSX would struggle to have titles to really take advantage of its better hardware. If I am an Xbox owner, I would struggle to justify upgrading if there are no new games there? All the while its rival would be pushing its exclusives on its exclusive platform; I would get more games available by owning a X1 and a PS5 vs an X1 and a XSX.

What sells consoles are games. People who complain about buying a console to play a game fails to see the whole business model of consoles. After generations of consoles, and yet PC has superior hardware, is not exactly rocket science to work out the business model. They want to suck you into the ecosystem. Nintendo does it, MS does it on both Xbox and Windows, Apple does it, one would think people on a a tech site would have figured this out by now.

Most people who says they aren't interested in so and so consoles simply haven't actually ever allowed themselves to like it as a mechanism to justify their (or lack of) console choice. For years I said I don't give a damn about anything Nintendo. Now I eagerly await Pokemon, Mario, Zelda games. I fail to grasp how people aren't even a tiny bit interested in titles like Bloodborne, Last of Us,God of War, Uncharted, Persona, Horizons because I own PS4. I can accuse myself of the same thing on the Xbox front, but what is there beyond Halo, Quantum Break and Gears? I am sure there are some other good games, but I don't allow myself to investigate because I simply don't want to care.

 

[Teko03]

No point in owning an Xbox then, can buy a Ps5 and play all the games and then in a few years when Xbox sales are down like they are now they will switch the exclusive button on and make some money

Edited...misread your post.

 

[ET3D]

You're still limiting game design around the lower spec hardware

games are normally built from the lowest denominator

Not really. Games are designed for powerful hardware, then optimised for entry level machines, not vice versa. If a PC game can run on a GeForce 1060 3GB that doesn't mean that it can't take advantage of more than 3GB of video RAM or use ray tracing.

I agree that some design considerations might be affected, such as the need to use level loading instead of a seamless world because the lower end hardware has a slow drive. However, things like graphical detail, which takes RAM, GPU and CPU power, and are most of what separates a modern game from older ones, should scale without problem.

I'm not shelling out $500 for a console for no added benefit.

For people who are happy to play with integrated graphics and HDD, there will indeed be no added benefit. For people who are 'PC master race' and have their GeForce 2080 Ti and Core i9-10900K or whatever, there won't be any benefit. People not in these groups would certainly benefit from a console that can play high fidelity AAA games.